Mumbai receive much-needed boost for SMAT and Vijay Hazare Trophy
Indian T20I skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, will return to the Mumbai side for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) fixture against Andhra on December 3. He had been on a two-week break for family reasons. Despite leading the national side, Shreyas Iyer is expected to continue leading the Mumbai side in SMAT. Apart from SMAT, Suryakumar will also feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai, handing the team a much-needed boost.
SKY's flexible role and upcoming participation
As per PTI, Suryakumar has said he is ready to bat at any position the team management finds fit. He will join the Mumbai squad in Hyderabad on Monday, before their next game. Mumbai, who are placed third in Group E, have won three out of four games so far with two league matches left after Sunday's clash against Nagaland.
High-profile participation and SKY's previous commitments
The ongoing SMAT has drawn a number of top cricketers including Hardik Pandya, Iyer, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Varun Chakravarthy. Before his family function break, SKY had played one round of the Ranji Trophy in October before departing for South Africa. He has now confirmed his availability for the remaining SMAT matches to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
Mumbai's performance and upcoming matches
Under Iyer's captaincy, Mumbai will play their last two group stage matches against Services and Andhra on December 3 and December 5 in Hyderabad. As mentioned, the team is currently placed third in Group E after winning three out of four matches. They are level on points with second-placed Kerala (12 each) but trail due to a lower net run rate, while Andhra top the table with 16 points from four matches.
SKY's batting position and Mumbai's performance
Notably, SKY had earlier missed four league-stage games of SMAT due to family commitments. Now, it remains to be seen where he will bat for Mumbai, considering the team's current lineup has Prithvi Shaw, Angkrish Raghuvansi, Iyer, and Ajinkya Rahane. If he plays the remaining two group-stage matches, he will most likely bat at No. 5 for Mumbai.
Mumbai beat Nagaland on Sunday
Mumbai got the job done against Nagaland on Sunday. Nagaland managed 107 runs in 19.4 overs. Shardul Thakur (3/12) and Mohit Avasthi (3/10) were superb. In response, top knocks from Raghuvanshi and Prithvi Shaw helped Mumbai win by 7 wickets.
